MP Anne Milton is backing parents, staff and pupils trying to save Gosden House School, in Bramley, from closure

MP Anne Milton has urged members of Surrey County Council to talk to parents and teachers before deciding whether to close a "magical" school for children with learning difficulties.

The Guildford MP visited Gosden House School in Bramley last Friday (March 7) to demonstrate her support to keep the school opened
as a mixed gender school for children aged between five and 16 diagnosed with having learning difficulties.

Surrey County Council is consulting whether to shut the school and use the building instead to teach pupils with ‘high-functioning autism’.

“This is a very special school with special teachers and parents meeting the needs of some very special children,” said Mrs Milton. “As soon as you walk through the door you see what a magical and amazing place it is.

“We have achieved a small but significant change from Surrey County Council in halting the process and before they make their final decision they should come talk to the parents and staff from the school and work out what is brilliant about this school and expand that.”

Mrs Milton also said the school already deals with some of the needs of children with autism the county council is looking to implement.

'Perfect' school

Gosden House currently has more than 110 pupils attending the school.

Annabel Inskip is currently in Year 9 at Gosden House School and says she has built up a group of strong friendships.

“My school is the best school I ever had because I have really nice friends,” she said.

An online petition launched by Parents’ Action Group to save the Bramley school has so far attracted more than 5,000 names.

Parent Laura Sabharwal moved to Surrey from London in 2011 after a year’s search to find the "perfect" school for her daughter.

“We looked all the way across and down to West Sussex and we could not find one other that comes close to here,” she said. “We could not believe it was not a private school and it is just perfect.

“It took us a year to find a school like this and it is a really unique school that deals with complex needs.

“That is what Surrey County Council does not seem to understand. That is already what they do and they are going to knock down something that already exists. It is just a waste of resources and amazing staff.”

Although a co-educational school until children reach the age of 11, Gosden House is unique in that its secondary school is all-girls – and the introduction of boys is something that Mrs Sabharwal says could become a problem.

Future under review

“It is a time when they are going through a vulnerable period of puberty,” she said.

“This is not just for us but for the other children coming through and there are so many hoops we need to get through. If it was an underachieving school you would understanding it more but it has been here for 65 years and that is hard to get your head around.

“We are a force to be reckoned with and we are not just going to be fobbed off.”

The future of the school has been under review by the council since 2011 after it raised concerns over long-term sustainability. In September last year it ceased to offer resident accommodation when the council scrapped its residential provision in order to cut costs.

A Surrey County Council spokesman said: “We appreciate the strength of feeling at Gosden House about the school’s future role and want to continue discussing this with the governing body. We’re concerned about the potential costs of updating and modernising the school for any of the possible uses and will investigate the various options for the site fully before making any decision.

“We hope the school will continue to work with us through this process, recognising our shared goal of providing high quality education for pupils with special educational needs in Surrey.”

The Staines Informer, Woking Informer, Surrey Herald, Surrey Advertiser and Surrey Times are part of Trinity Mirror Southern, offering you unique access to our audience across the region online and in print.

We reach an average of 264,182* unique users a month with dedicated coverage of Guildford, Woking, Esher, Staines and the whole of Surrey.

80% of our visitors**, who view an average of 997,435* page impressions every month, are in the desirable ABC1 socio-economic groups.

To book an advert with the our advertising team call 01483 508700 or visit the Trinity Mirror Southern website trinitymirrorsouthern.co.uk for more information.

We are part of Trinity Mirror Southern, offering you unique access to our audience across the region online and in print.

She has been editorial director of the online and print titles in Surrey and north-east Hampshire since 2007. Marnie previously worked at the BBC as a producer for 5 Live, having moved to national radio from BBC Sussex and Surrey.